ONCE again, Cllr Morris and his Labour colleagues have shown their utter contempt for the democracy.

Let us examine the facts behind Labour’s unilateral decision that Bolton should not be included in the pilot scheme requiring voters to prove their identity before voting.

As the author and proposer of the motion that Bolton should be a pilot for the project in 2018, I offer readers a few facts.

The motion was recorded with the council in early February. In the motion I set out the importance of probity and transparency to raise public confidence in the way elections are conducted and suggested voters having to prove their identity before voting was a start.

Because of Labour’s guillotine on council debate, it was finally debated some six weeks later at the end of March.

The motion was agreed with Labour councillors supporting it having had more than six weeks to consider the issues.

They now claim that proving identity will debar people from voting as the reason for dropping the plan.

Why should this be if the voter is who they claim to be? Incidentally, this motion follows a similar one I submitted in early 2016 which Labour councillors also supported.

One can only speculate why Cllr Morris and Labour councillors overturned a democratic decision of the council without any further debate which, of itself, is an affront to democracy.

Cllr John Walsh

Astley Bridge Ward

Bolton Council